About the High Line

The High Line is a new public park, built on an elevated 1930s rail structure located on Manhattan's West Side. It runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 34th Street. The first section of the High Line opened to the public in June 2009. The High Line is property of the City of New York, and is maintained and operated by the non-profit Friends of the High Line, in partnership with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

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A bell in Herald Square recorded for A Bell for Every Minute, courtesy the artist and Creative Time

Details for a major new art installation, going in on the High Line this summer, have been finalized.

Building on the success of Spencer Finch’s installation in the Chelsea Market Passage, we’re once again partnering with public art superstars Creative Time and the public art wing of the Parks Department. This time, we commissioned a site-specific multi-channel sound piece from artist Stephen Vitiello, entitled A Bell for Every Minute. The piece will be installed in the 14th Street Passage, another semi-enclosed space where the High Line runs through a former industrial building.

All the snow we’ve had lately has made us see the High Line’s landscape in a new way. Drifting snow changes the shape of the planting beds and pathways. The monochromatic palate of the landscape makes the skeletal forms of grasses, trees and other landscape elements really pop. Railroad tracks retain heat and melt through the snow while the white blanket covers the rest of the beds.

One of our favorite surprises has been the way L’Observatoire‘s lighting elements interact with the falling snow. Patrick Cullina, our Vice President of Horticulture and Park Operations, shot some footage of snow falling at night. We encourage you to come up on a snowy night to see for yourself — with 2 to 5 inches expected by the end of the day, tonight might be the night.

To help our us get through the long, cold, and sometimes wet hours on the High Line this winter, the lovely folks at Swedish company Tretorn have donated several pairs of their warm and rugged rubber boots to our Maintenance & Operations and Administrative staff. According to their web site, “Tretorn celebrates a lifestyle largely lived outside.” Whether we’re shoveling snow, leading tours, or simply walking the High Line for some fresh air at lunchtime, we couldn’t agree more!

Maeve Turner using the Dosatron (affectionately named 'Dosie' by the Horticulture staff) to apply compost tea to specific areas of the High Line.

Maeve, one of our five full-time gardeners, has been on staff since the High Line’s opening this past June. Originally from England, Maeve grew up in Westfield, New Jersey, and first discovered her love for gardening while working at Morning Glory Farm on Martha’s Vineyard, where she helped out with everything from seeding to planting to weeding. After Morning Glory, Maeve completed an internship at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (which she says was “awesome”), then worked for a private gardening company. Each job, she says, was a unique experience, and affirmed that gardening is the work environment she enjoys most.

Ring in the new year by strolling the High Line! The park will be open New Year’s Day (regular winter hours of 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM). In case of extreme inclement weather any time this winter, please check our Web site and/or twitter for info on possible delayed or partial openings.

2009 has been a remarkable year for the High Line. After spending the spring working on the final stages of construction, we opened the first section of the park in June. Since then, we estimate that nearly 2 million people have visited. We hope you were among these first visitors to the High Line, and that you return again and again in 2010.

The High Line’s first year as a public park has been truly amazing. We’ve pulled together some of our favorite pictures from this incredible, historic year. We hope you enjoy them!

Park visitors stroll and relax on the Diller – von Furstenberg Sundeck between 14th and 15th Streets. The Sundeck is one of the High Line’s most popular gathering spots, especially for sunbathers on bright summer days, and as a place to watch the sunset. Photo by Iwan Baan

“…The High Line is a hit, and not just with tourists but with New Yorkers who are openly relishing a place where they can reflect and relax enough to get a new perspective on Manhattan.”

In addition to all the shoveling the High Line staff did to keep the park open this weekend, our temporary Maintenance & Operations facility has been moved down to the southern entrance of the High Line, at street level. In order to get ready for the joining of Section 1 to Section 2 – (still under construction) – the M&O trailers (where our gardeners, maintenance workers, and Rangers house equipment and offices) were moved 10 blocks south, just west of the Gansevoort Stairway.

M&O container being lifted off of the 20th Street location and moved to ground level at Gansevoort & Washington Streets. Photo by Jenny Staley.

The trailers and containers were crane-lifted off the High Line and loaded onto flatbed trucks that transported everything to their new southern location, where they will rest until construction for the new Whitney Museum begins at Gansevoort and Washington Street, adjacent to the High Line.

Container being set down into its new location just west of the Gansevoort Entrance. Photo by Jenny Staley.